Mounting bracket and installation thereof



Jan. 24, 1939. w. H. CHURCHILL MOUNTING BRACKET AND INSTALLATION THEREOFFiled Nov. 7, 1936 Inventor.- hur'charzl'fi.

I cfliigy.

Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES MOUNTING BRACKET AND INSTALLATIONTHEREOF Wilmer H. Churchill, Saugus, Mass, assignor to United-CarrFastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication November 7, 1936, Serial No. 109,743

3 Claims.

My invention aims to provide improvements in bracket members such as areused for securing electrical units to a support and the installations ofthe same.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates preferred embodiments of myinvention:-

Figure 1 is a side view of'an electrical installation showing a shieldcan or a condenser, coil or like part such as used in a radio set and animproved bracket member for securing the part to a support with mybracket member in the act of being moved into attaching position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 1 showing my bracketmember in final attachment 5 to a support with a portion of the toolused for moving my bracket member into attaching position being shown incross-section;

3 is a fragmentary side view of the installation shown in Fig. 2;

J Fig. 4 is a front view of the bracket member shown in Figs. 1-3;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the bracket member shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a second form of electrical installation;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 1! of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a plan View of a third form of electrical installation; and

) Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the embodiment of my invention illustrated by Figs. 1through 5 inclusive, I have shown a mounting means for an electricalunit such as the electrical device I which may be a coil, condenser orsimilar structure. The electrical device which I have chosen toillustrate my invention comprises a container 1 detachably secured to asupport 2 by means of my improved mounting brackets 8. One endof each ofmy improved mounting brackets 3 is shaped and arranged for rigidattachment to the unit I while the other end of the bracket 3 is shownin fastening engagement with the material surrounding an aperture 4disposed in the support 2 (Fig. 2).

It will be noticed that the bracket 3 has a pair of arms extendingthrough the aperture 4 when the bracket is in final attachment with thesupport with one of the arms in spring contact wtih the material of thesupport 2 surrounding the aperture 4 but adapted to be moved whendesired so as to permit removal of the bracket 3 from the support in amanner which will be described.

Referring specifically to the form of mounting bracket illustrated inFigs. 4 and 5, I have provided a one-piece bracket member formed bybending a strip of ribbon-like metal between its ends. I do not wish,however, to be limited to the particular form of material illustratedand described because it is apparent that my bracket member could bemade satisfactorily from other material such as wire. The bracket 3 hasan attach'fng portion in the form of a loop portion 5 at one end adaptedfor fastening engagement with headed projections 6, which may be rivetsor the like, extending beyond the body portion of the container I. Theloop 5 has an elongated shape in my preferred form thereby cooperatingwith a pair of projections 6 for preventing rotation of the bracket 3relative to the container l. The other end of the bracket 3 provides apair of leg portions 'i' and 8 having, in my preferred form, hookportions 9-9 at each of their free ends. Each of the hook portions 9-9presents a shoulder H) at its outermost free end substantially facingthe attaching loop portion 5. The free ends of the loop portion 5converge at points H-ll forming shoulders [2-42 on the opposite side ofthe converging portions l [-4 I from the legs I and 8 (Fig. 4). Whensecured to the container I, the loop 5 has portions disposed between theheads of the projections 6-6 and the wall of the container l with theshoulders |2l2 of the loop engaging the lowermost of the projections '6for preventing ready detachment of the bracket 3 from the container. Theleg 7 in my preferred form is relatively straight for the greater partof its length and formed as a continuation of one side of the loopportion 5. The material of the leg is adjacent the loep portion 5extends outwardly away from the leg I and then back upon itself forminga reverse-bend portion [3 in the leg 8 intermediate the loop 5 and arelatively straight portion of the leg 8, which last-mentioned portionis located adjacent the respective hook portion 9. Normally the hookportion 9 of the leg 8 is disposed nearer to the attaching loop 5 thanthe hook portion 9 of the leg I with the result that the hook portion 9of the leg 8 must be forced down against the spring tension of thereverse-bend portion l3 for enabling the shoulder ID of thelast-mentioned leg to engage the support 2 when the bracket 3 is infinal attachment to the support 2, as will be hereinafter described.

In assembling the parts of my preferred form of installation, the loop 5of the bracket 3 is forced beneath the heads of the projection 6 so thatthe shoulders Ill-12 engage opposed lower surfaces of the lower of theprojections 6 there" by holding the bracket 3 in secure attachmentto-the container I. The container I is then moved toward the support 2so that the hook portion 9 of the leg 7 is disposed beneath the lowersurface of the support 2 and the shoulder portion I!) of the leg 8 isdisposed within the aperture 4, as most clearly shown in Fig. Theshoulder 9 of the leg 8 is then moved into engagement with a lowersurface of the support 2 through downward pressure exerted upon thelowerside of the reverse-bend portion I3 by a tool means, such as a screwdriver plate I4 (Fig. 2). As the shoulder Id of the leg 8 is forcedagainst the natural spring action set up in the reverse-bend portion I3,the shoulder Hi engages the lower surface of the Support 2 in springcontact whereby the bracket 3 is in secure attachment to the support. Ifit is desired to disengage the bracket 3 from the support, force isexerted upon the hook por tion 9 in the direction of the aperture 4 so.as to move the hook portion out of engagement with the support 2thereby enabling it to spring back into substantiallythe position shownin Fig. 1. The bracket 3 may now be readily removed from the support. 7

Referring now to the second form of my invention, as shown in Figs. 6and 7, I have provided a container or the like unit I5, which is similarin form to that shown in Figs. 1-3, but instead of employing parts suchas the projections ii of the first form of my invention, in combinationwith the container for receiving an attaching portion of the fastenermember, I have provided an attaching means I6 of different constructionhaving a loop portion adapted to receive a portion of a modified form ofbracket I! for securing the bracket to the container. My modified formof attaching means [6 comprises a leg portion I8 having a relativelyfiat side adjacent a wall of a container I5 (Fig. 7) and secured to thesame through means such as rivets I9 passing through apertures in theleg I8 and the container wall and headed over upon outer surfaces of theparts, as most clearly shown in Fig. 7. The lowermost free end of theleg I8 is curled outwardly and upwardly with its outermost free endportion substantially in engagement with the leg l8 (Fig. 7) therebyforming a relatively wide loop 20 adapted to receive a portion of mysecond form of bracket member II for securing the bracket to thecontainer.

The bracket member I! is similar to my first form as illustrated inFigs. 1-5, but instead of an attaching portion such as the loop 5 of myfirst form, I have provided a relatively straight attaching portion 2|.The portion 2| unites the upper end of the leg I with that portion ofthe reverse-bend portion I3 of the leg 8 extending away from the leg I.The portion M is disposed slightly beneath .a straight line connectingthe uppermost point of the leg "I and the uppermost side of thereverse-bend I3 so as to prevent lateral movement of the bracket 3relative to the attaching means it. My bracket member I'I may beassembled with the attaching means H5 in any suitable manner such as byplacing the attaching portion 2| within the loop 28, the top side of theloop being left open to receive the attaching portion and then bendingthe top side of the loop substantially adjacent the leg I8 so that thebracket member I1 is securely attached to the container. The bracketmember 51 may now be attached to the support 2 exactly in the manner ofthe bracket 3 of my first form of installation as hereinbeforedescribed.

The installation shown in Figs. 8 and 9 differs from the installationshown in Figs. 6 and '7 only by the fact that instead of employing aseparate piece I6 as a means for providing a loop to receive theattaching portion 2I of the bracket member I1, I have formed a loop 22integral with a wall of the container Iby curling upwardly material ofthe wall of the container adjacent to the bottom edge of the container.The bracket member I'I may be secured to the loop 22 of the third formof my installation in a manner similar to that described in connectionwith the second form of installation as illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7.

By my invention I have provided efiiciently working mounting bracketscapable of easy assembly with the unit which they carry .and capa ble ofeasy attachment to a support. As a result of the fact that my bracketsare made by bending a strip of ribbon-like material between the ends asubstantial saving iseifected in the cost of manufacture over the costof manufacturing brackets now in use made by blanking the body of thebracket out of sheet metal. 7

Although I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of myinvention is best set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A. fastening bracket of the class described having an attachingportion whereby said fastening bracket is secured to a support, a pairof leg portions extending from said attaching portion and lying insubstantially the same plane, each of said legs having a shoulderportion movable toward the other, and one shoulder being normally in adifierent plane from the other and one of said legs having a loop-shapedportion intermediate its shoulder portion and said attaching portionwhereby said last-mentioned shoulder portion may be movable against thetension of said loop-shapedportion toward the plane of the shoulder onthe other leg for the purpose described. V

2. A fastening bracket of the class described having an attachingportion whereby said fastening bracket'is secured to a support, a pairof leg portions extending from said attaching portion and lying insubstantially the same plane, each of said legs having a hook portion atone end providing an upwardly facing free end portion for engagementwith a part through which said legs may pass, and one of said legshaving a bend intermediate its hook portion and said attaching portionwhereby said last-mentioned hook portion is movable against the tensionof said bent portion to elongate said leg whereby the free end portionof said last-mentioned hook portion may be moved relative to the freeend portion of the hook portion of the other leg for the purposedescribed.

3. A fastening bracket of the class described formed. from a singlestrip of ribbon-like metal bent between its ends .and comprising aloopshaped attaching portion, leg portions extending beneath saidloop-shaped portion and each having a shoulder portion, and at least oneof said legs having a loop-shaped yieldable portion intermediate itsshoulder portion and said loopshaped attaching portion whereby theshoulder portion of said last-mentioned leg is movable toward and awayfrom said attaching portion.

WILMER H. CHURCHILL.

